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Empty Cradles (Oranges and Sunshine)

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Empty Cradles (Oranges and Sunshine)

By: Margaret Humphreys
Narrated by: Emily Watson
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About this listen

Now a major film, the book that exposed the scandal of Britain's forgotten and abused child migrants.

In 1986 Margaret Humphreys, a Nottingham social worker, investigated a woman's claim that, aged four, she had been put on a boat to Australia by the British government. At first incredulous, Margaret discovered that this was just the tip of an enormous iceberg. Up to 150,000 children, some as young as three years old, had been deported from children's homes in Britain and shipped off to a 'new life' in distant parts of the Empire, right up until as recently as 1970. Many were told that their parents were dead, and parents were told that their children had been adopted. In fact, for many children it was to be a life of horrendous physical and sexual abuse far away from everything they knew.

Margaret and her team reunited thousands of families before it was too late and brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

©2011 Margaret Humphries (P)2020 W. F. Howes Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons Europe Great Britain True Crime England Disappearance

Critic Reviews

"It is a story that defies belief." (Independent)

"The secrets of the lost children of Britain may never have been revealed if it had not been for [the actions of] Margaret Humphreys." (Sunday Times)
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Everyone should know about the history and stories laid out in this book! Incredibly sad at times but also inspiring to see what the efforts of one person can achieve for others in need. Performance was average (attempts at Australian accent not great!) but still worth a listen.

Incredible and enlightening book

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Empty Cradles is a heartbreaking and informative account of one of Australia's most distressing chapters—child migration. Margaret Humphreys shares the stories of children forcibly taken from their families in the UK and sent to Australia, where many faced uncertain futures and profound loss.

Through personal narratives and thorough research, Humphreys highlights the complicity of various institutions, including the Catholic Church, in these injustices. This book serves as a crucial reminder that every Australian needs to confront this painful history to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.

Empty Cradles is a powerful testament to resilience and the importance of acknowledging our past, making it essential reading for anyone interested in social justice and the rights of children.

heartbreaking

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.